~80KM ride Dublin Mountains 14/15 April

Membrane

As part of my preparation for the Wicklow 200 I'm doing one of my my usual ~80KM rides through the Dublin Mountains on Saturday or Sunday 14/15 April. Anyone who fancies coming along is welcome.

This is a ride of moderate difficulty, it does involve a fair bit of climbing.

The route is:
Start: Yellow House pub Willbrook Rd Rathfarnham
Butterfield Avenue
Through Oldbawn towards Brittas
The climbing starts just after the Golf Club
Turn left into the mountains after the first climb
Straight ahead past the military camp
Turn left at the end of the road towards Sally Gap
Straight ahead at the Sally Gap crossing
Towards the Vartry Reservoir past Lough Tay
First road left towards Enniskerry
First road left to take the backroads towards Glencree
South around Knockree mountain
Turn right after Glencree heading back to Dublin

This ride includes three medium difficulty climbs:
1) From the golf club to the military camp
2) Up to Sally Gap
3) Between Sally Gap and Vartry Reservoir

Climbing Djouce heading towards Enniskerry feels harder than it looks, the short humps towards Glencree are not to be sneezed at, and heading towards Dublin after Glencree also looks easier than it is coming at the end of the ride.

I'm a 46YO leisure/fitness cyclist averaging ~20KPH for that ride (~4 hours ride time), I use a non fancy rigid hybrid bike myself.

Although all tarmac roads, some bits are quite bumpy. It's quite a scenic ride.

The real climbs are best done individually at each participant's preferred pace with front runners waiting up for the others on the tops.

If there's an interest from others in coming along, I'm flexible on what day (Saturday or Sunday) and time. Follow up with your preference/availability.

daymobrew

I might join you in a few weeks (BUPA 10k is this weekend). I might do a few flat jaunts west (from Dublin 15) to get some stamina up.

case_sensitive

Funny, I'm doing the Wicklow 200 too, and am taking this week off to run the Bupa run this weekend, long cycles and long runs plays havok on my knees.

Would be up for a few training runs though, average about 25kph myself, so it sounds fine, count me in.

Tales Of Topogr

I wouldn't mind going along either. (Wicklow 200.) Prefer Saturday morning, nice n early though. Going out Saturday night.................:D
Will be out Saturday morning regardless anyway, on the road for about 8am, plan to go over Sally and Lug.

hunnymonster

I like the sound of this too. I haven't been on a bike much recently and this sounds like a good one to get me back into it. I'm a complete cissy downhill though

crosstownk

I'd be up for it too - but like daymobrew, I've a bit of stamina to train for yet. I used to be great uphill, but was always a bit lacking downhill (maybe because I'm tall and have a higher centre of gravity - so I was told years ago).

Maybe in a few weeks I'll be up to it...............

tunney

Turn left into the mountains after the first climb
Straight ahead past the military camp
Turn left at the end of the road towards Sally Gap

A nice little route - almost the exact same as my standard spin. One suggestion - once you hit the miltary camp turn right down the small road, you can miss it easily. Its a lot better surfaced than the road going straight down. Brings out out maybe 8km from where the route straight past the camp goes. It terms of time is the same.

Another variation is once you hit the top of sally gap descend into lara and do the Wicklow gap. Adds about 25km only to the route.

el tel

Sounds like a smashing ride and something I'd really like to do with others as I'm not very familiar with the area. But unfortunately I won't be around many weekends before the Wicklow 200.

Membrane

I plan to set off from the Yellow House pub Saturday April 14th @ 08:30, and expect to be back there @ ~12:00. (Yellow House to Yellow House is probably only ~65KM).

Please confirm if you intend to come along on this ride at this day and time, I can then wait a short while in case you're delayed a bit.

The weather is predicted to be fine. If the night before is clear the temperature might still be chilly at the start (~6 degrees), but it could rise to the high teens towards the end of the ride. A base layer under the jersey might be still advisable to cope with the early morning chill. The sun is beginning to bite again this time of year, consider using sun cream on exposed skin.

Personally I use about 1.3L of drink and 4 grain bars on this ride. There are few opportunities to get water on the first 2/3 of this ride, I'd advise taking no less drink than that with you.

Again this is a ride of moderate difficulty and although run at a leisure/fitness pace, given the climbing involved it does require decent fitness. I'd estimate the total ascend to be ~950M. There is an opportunity to head back early to Dublin @ Sally Gap, shortening the ride to about 50KM, but that still involves ~650M of ascend.

Feel free to go at your own pace on the ascends and descends, front runners wait for others at the tops and low points.

To spot me: bald guy on a hybrid, blue/grey/white bike and jersey.

Hungrycol

Are you still doing this? I'd be more up for the Sunday morning if you're still around...

BTW... Was that you on a hybrid at the Gerry Brannigan Radonnee last weekend?

Membrane

Hungrycol wrote:

Are you still doing this?

It's a ride I do regularly, but not normally planned in advance. I made an exeption to see if there was an interest. I'm back to looking out the window / spur of the moment planning

Hungrycol wrote:

BTW... Was that you on a hybrid at the Gerry Brannigan Radonnee last weekend?

No, I had an appetite for a slightly longer ride around that time so I did a 155K Dublin > Sally Gap > Laragh > Glenmalure > Slieve Maan > Glen of Imaal > Donard > N81 > Dublin ride instead.